Mating Season
by kellyQ
Summary: FINALLY UPDATED! Prequel to Possessed Love! Judai's search for a mate has come to an end. Only a few will except his mate. Spiritshipping! And other couples!
1. Chapter 1

Mating Season

Prologue

By Kellyq

Yellowish-red possessed eyes surveyed the area. Cat-like ears twitching every so often for any type of sound. Soft brown fur blew in the wind. His crooked tail twitched as he watched a jackrabbit hop by. The cat demon sniffed the air to make sure that there was no other demons after what he was after. He growled when he smelled another aroma of a demon close by. The cat demon sniffed the air again to get a better idea what his opponent was going to be. The aura he smelled wasn't hostile at all; it was pure, strong and sweet.

"It's that same female demon who keeps following me around," the male demon muttered. This demon had several names for himself: Haou or Judai. He wasn't the only demon with more than one name, there was another – what was it? Y-Yubel or was it Johan?

Now that was a demon that Judai wanted to meet. He had heard things about that demon, and he wanted to know if what he heard was true. Judai got up and walked to the riverside, wanting something to drink. When he got there, he saw another demon there. This demon had an appearance of a large white house-cat, with the most beautiful embroiled green eyes Judai had ever seen. Next to the cat demon was the Jackrabbit that he thought about having for dinner. Judai blinked when he smelled the demon's scent. It was the same scent he got before.

"You've been following me around for a while now. Who are you?" Judai asked.

The white cat demon picked the Jackrabbit and placed at Judai's feet. "You might as well eat that before someone decides to take it away from you."

Judai blinked again and watched the cat demon leave. "Who are you?" he asked again.

The white cat stopped. "I have many names but call me Johan."

With that, the effeminate male cat was gone.

Chapter One 

It had been one week since Judai's encounter with Johan. He got together with some of his friends - Sho, Kaiser, Manjyoume, Asuka and her brother Fubuki. Judai needed someone to tell about his encounter. Fubuki's wolf like ears perked up as Judai tried to describe the cat demon.

"Are you going to mate with her?" Fubuki asked. Everyone stared at him for a moment. "What?"

Asuka looked a little annoyed. "You haven't really been listening have you?"

Fubuki pouted. His ears went back to the side of his head. "I have to," he whined. "He was saying he met a beautiful demon ..."

"You are hopeless sometimes! We don't know if this demon is male or female, right?" Asuka asked Judai.

"I guess," Judai sighed. He rolled onto this back and stared at the sky.

Sho studied his friend for a moment. "Are you alright, aniki?"

Judai sighed and rolled around, trying to get his back to stop iching. "I'll be alright Sho," he reassured. "I'm going to go for a walk." with that, Judai got up and walked away.

"Don't forget that mating season is almost here," Fubuki reminded his friend. Asuka hit her brother on the head. The wolf demon yelped and gave his sister a confused look. "Why do intend to hurt your poor defenseless brother?"

"Just leave Judai alone," she scolded. "When Judai feels ready to mate with someone, he'll do it." The others nodded their heads.

"I was trying to help," Fubuki whined. "I know he's lonely and I just want him to be happy. He should have a mate that will give him things that he always wanted."

Asuka smiled, knowing that her brother has a good heart, even though he could be annoying at times.

* * *

Judai sniffed the air, hoping to catch Johan's scent. The brown haired demon mentally kicked himself for becoming attracted to a demon he hardly even knew. With a frustrated growl, Judai got up and walked back to the riverside to clear his thoughts. 

Once he got there, he didn't realize that there was someone else there – bathing. Judai could make out a male figure in the water. His back was turned, so Judai couldn't make out who it was, but he could tell that it was a demon by the cat ears. Judai's heart stopped for a moment. He looked nervously around for a place to hide. Judai saw a bush, but he to what type. Without thinking, the brown haired demon jumped into the bush and felt thorns pricking his skin. Judai yelped in shock and pain as he crawled out.

"Ow. Ow. God! I hate it when I do that!" Judai mumbled, accusing himself for doing something foolish.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Judai looked up to stare at a beautiful male teen with turquoise hair, peach tinted smooth skin, and beautiful embroiled green eyes. Judai's first thought was Johan. He sniffed the demon and sure enough it was Johan in his human form. Judai flushed, trying not to have perverted thoughts. "Y-yeah ..."

A smile made it's way to Johan's kissable lips. "Good." he turned around and grabbed his things. "Oh. One more thing. Was the Jackrabbit enough food for you?"

"It wasn't too bad," Judai admitted. Johan nodded his head in approval and transformed into his demon form. "Wait! I'm going to see you again, right?"

Johan turned so that he was facing Judai. "Do you want to met here at this time tomorrow?"

"Yes I do! I – I mean! I would like that."

Johan smirked as he walked up and pulled several thorns out of Judai's face and licked some of the blood off his cheek. The brown haired demon blushed even harder as he watched the white cat leave.

Perhaps he wouldn't be alone during this years mating season after all.

To Be Continued ...

I want to thank my editor for helping me out! He's soo cool!


	2. Chapter 2

Mating Season

Chapter Two

By KellyQ

Judai arrived at the riverside to see Johan in his human form, sitting casually against a rock. Next to him was a deer. Judai changed to his human form and sat next to Johan. "So what's with the deer?" Judai asked.

"I was thinking that we could either share, or spar for it."

Judai looked at the deer. He was hungry and a deer sounded good to eat at the moment. "Alright. You're on! I haven't really practiced fighting in a while. This will be fun!" He jumped up and changed back into his demon form.

Johan smirked, his tail swayed as he shifted into his demon form too. He stared at Judai for a moment, causing the brown haired demon to lose focus. Johan took the opportunity to jump on his opponent. Before Judai knew what was happening, he was pinned on the ground. He tried to hold back a moan when he felt Johan pressing his body against his.

"N-now that's not fair," Judai whined, struggling free. "You did that on purpose to distract me with that divine feminine body of yours!" _Shit! _Judai cursed. He just hoped that Johan didn't think that he was after him for his body. _Even thought he does have a beautiful body,_ Judai thought, mentally smacking himself for having such a thought about someone he hardly knew.

Johan smirked and licked Judai's cheek again. "You never told me your name."

Judai shivered. "My name? Oh! It's Judai Yuki! And your name is Johan, right?"

The white cat demon nodded his head and got off of Judai. "Should we try that again - Judai?"

Judai nodded his head and got back on all fours, shaking the dirt off. "This time I won't be distracted," he said, using his back paw to scratch his ear. He rolled around on his back, feeling that his back was starting to itch.

Johan watched for a moment, trying not to have perverted thoughts about pinning Judai underneath him again. The brown haired demon caught Johan staring at him. They both stared at each other until Judai noticed that Johan had scratches on the back of his leg, and a couple of teeth marks on his neck.

Judai got up. "Johan, what happened? Did you get into a fight?"

Before Johan could defend himself, a yellowish-green fox demon jumped out of the bushes and lunged for him with bared teeth. The white cat demon jumped back. Judai could smell a deadly strength coming from the fox and another scent he couldn't quite place.

"Give me back my dinner you slut!" the fox said growling at Johan.

Judai's eyes narrowed, his ears went flat against his head and his crooked tail twitched. He stomped his paw hard on the ground. "What's going on?"

The fox demon turned and gave the brown haired demon a cold look.

"Yusuke ...!" came a growl from behind.

The fox demon growled. He knew who it was. He turned ready to strike the demon Panther. The Black Panther was quick and slammed his paw on Yusuke's tail. The pain didn't faze Yusuke at all. He was used to it.

"I shouldn't have to remind you that you're pregnant, do I?" the panther threatened.

A growl escaped from the back of Judai's throat. He thought he smelled something familiar coming from Yusuke. The scent came from the panther. Judai recognized the scent. His eyes changed to a yellowish-red possessed color.

Black cat-like ears twitched as the panther turned his head and their eyes locked. "We meet again, Haou. Or shall I say Judai Yuki." the panther moved his paw, and Yusuke took the opportunity to escape. "Get back here you bitch!" the panther seethed.

Johan jumped back as Yusuke grabbed the deer and ran off. The panther went after the demon fox, yelling threats toward his mate.

"Johan ..."

"I know what you're thinking," Johan started. "But I didn't steal his food. We went after the same thing ..."

Judai nodded his head. "We've got to tell the others that Darkness has returned!" the brown haired demon growled. "I made sure he was exiled from this part of the forest! Damn it!"

* * *

Fubuki paled at the mention of Darkness, but when Judai mentioned about Yusuke, his ears went straight up. Pain flashed across his face when Judai said that the fox demon was pregnant. Asuka nuzzled against her brother. She knew all about what had happened to him a couple years with Yusuke, and Darkness. What Fubuki wanted, was to mate with Yusuke; not because of the fox's good looks, but because the wolf demon had known the fox for a long time, and had fallen in love with him. 

The problem was that Darkness had wanted to mate with both of them, which was forbidden. A demon was allowed to have one mate per season. So Fubuki did what his instincts told him. He fought for his mate. The fight was brutal, with tooth and claw. Yusuke just watched with great horror in his violet eyes. He loved Fubuki and wanted him to win so he could mate with him. But Darkness was a stronger fighter. The panther had the wolf demon pinned, ready to bite his throat when Yusuke cried out that he would mate with Darkness. He was grateful that the panther saved the one he truly loved even thought Fubuki would forever believe that Yusuke had chosen Darkness because he was stronger.

Kaiser studied his friend. He knew how it felt to lose a mate. He had one too named Edo. A very clever and spunky fox demon. He was killed protecting Kaiser during last years mating season.

"We need to tell Shepherd about Darkness! That bastard is not suppose to be here!" Judai hissed. Shepherd was a powerful Lion demon who looked over all the demons of the forest.

"Then what are we waiting for," Johan spoke up. "Lets go!"

All of Judai's anger washed away when he stared at the cat demon. "Johan?"

"I do feel responsible for what happened …"

Judai narrowed his eyes. "You don't need to feel that way. You got the deer fair and square, so don't feel bad."

Fubuki watched the whole interaction and smiled. He had a good feeling that this Johan demon was going to be the one for Judai.

To Be Continued …


	3. Chapter 3

Mating Season

Chapter Three

By Kellyq

Shepherd blinked a few times when he saw Judai and Johan bursting in. "Oh my! What's going on?" He asked.

"We've spotted Darkness with some fox named Yusuke," Judai explained in a rush.

Shepherd's eyes widened. He remembered what happened between Fubuki, Darkness and Yusuke. Shepherd felt bad there wasn't much he could do. Secretly, he wanted Fubuki to win, but Yusuke chose Darkness and the two were never seen until now. "Is the young lad alright?" the Lion asked.

"He wasn't happy being with Darkness," Judai said. "He was also pregnant, if that's possible for a male."

Shepherd sighed. He didn't like sharing things, but he trusted Judai and Johan. "There's only a few demons who have abilities to grant wishes with their mates. Yusuke is one of them."

Judai looked interested. "Who are the others?"

"You already know Saiou ..." Shepherd said. Judai's ears twitched at the mention of the demon Ferret as he grumbled. "And the other is Johan."

Judai slowly turned to see that the Johan looked a little uncomfortable. "That's cool," Judai said, hoping that his words would calm Johan down.

Shepherd bit his lip. He did make an agreement with Johan not to share that type of information. Judai could feel tension between them.

"Johan ...?" The white cat demon turned and started to walk out. Judai blinked. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"We need to save him, Judai," Johan said, he looked back at Judai with determination in his eyes.

The brown haired demon nodded his head and followed Johan out the door to see Fubuki standing right there in his demon form. Judai could tell that he looked upset.

"Fubuki? Is everything alright, bud?"

"You guys don't have to do this. I'll take care of it. Besides, I have a score to settle with Darkness!"

"Are you sure?" Johan asked. "Judai and I can help."

Fubuki smiled. "Yeah. Why don't you guys go have fun."

* * *

"I don't like not helping," Johan finally spoke up.

After Fubuki walked past the two cat demons, to talk to Shepherd, Judai could tell that Johan was a little uneasy. _I wonder what happened to Johan to make him feel uneasy? _Judai thought. The two cats were now sitting near the riverside.

"I know what he's going through. I've been in similar situations too," Johan explained. Judai stared at him with awe. Johan smiled at his friend. "So I'd say we help."

"I know how you feel, Johan," Judai said with a sigh. "But Darkness is a strong opponent and the last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

Johan chuckled and winked. "I'm not too worried. If we all work together, you, me, and, Fubuki, we might be able to free Yusuke."

Judai's expression softened. "That's sweet of you. If anyone called me names I wouldn't have a second thought about helping them."

"I like helping people. It makes me feel good. And I'm sure you feel the same way when you help people too."

Judai couldn't help but smile. "You seem to know me better then I know myself."

"I've watched you save demons and humans from danger," Johan confessed. "After I watched you, I wanted to meet you personally."

Judai stared at him for a moment. "I could smell you," the brown haired demon said. "At first, I thought it was a female demon stalking me, but when you revealed yourself, I was even more shocked."

Johan laughed. "I know. Some people say that I have a feminine scent ..."

"It doesn't bother me. I find it soothing," Judai complimented.

Johan scratched the back of his head. "Wow. Thanks. My family told me that I can trust you, and they were right."

As if on queue, a white tiger stepped out of the bushes and nodded his head to Judai's direction. The brown haired demon turned when he saw an emerald Turtle coming out of the water. Judai watched in awe at the animals and smiled. All the animals looked unique and humble, and even the Eagle had a strong appearance.

"Wow. This is your family? That's neat!"

Johan smiled. "Yep! They've taken care of me since I was a kitten," he explained.

Judai smiled. "You're lucky. I wish I had a family who loved me. But it doesn't mater now. I have a lot of friends who I consider my family. And you're one of them."

* * *

Fubuki put his snout to the ground and started to sniff for Darkness' scent. He didn't get far when he caught Jun's scent. He turned his head to his friend in his demon form. The Weasel changed to his human form with a smug expression. Fubuki smiled at his friend. "Nothing can get past you, huh?"

"Not unless you want me to write your obituary first," Jun said sarcastically.

Fubuki smiled again. "I appreciate that you care, Jun. But this is something I need to do. I want to get Yusuke back - I want to know if he's alright."

Jun grumbled. "You weren't listening to a single word, were you? Yusuke was not alright! Darkness had fucked him up!" The black haired Weasel immediately regretted yelling at his friend when he saw pain flash across Fubuki's eyes.

The wolf demon lowered his head, moving his paw in a circle. "I know that Darkness never really cared about anyone, only himself. That's why I have to save Yusuke. He saved me, now it's my chance to save him." Fubuki stared at the sky. _I'll find you Yusuke, and make Darkness pay for hurting you! _

To Be Continued ...


	4. Chapter 4

Mating Season

Chapter four

By KellyQ

Yusuke was thrown onto the bed and Darkness stripped him of his clothes, leaving the poor fox demon in his underwear. Darkness smirked and chained his mate to the bedpost and crawled up Yusuke's body. The panther demon reached out a bony hand and caressed all of the sensitive places on the fox's body, having complete control of Yusuke. Seaweed soft green hair, violet eyes, pale smooth skin, strong looking chest and slender hips. Yusuke was something to admire, and many other demons wanted him. That was the one thing that made the fox demon feel sick - other demons wanted him for that purpose and his special ability.

Darkness could see the hate in Yusuke's eyes. "I don't know why you intend to run. You know that if you keep doing this, I'll just come after you. Nothing's going to change the fact that you belong to me." Darkness had a smug expression. Yusuke growled. He didn't want to believe that. "And if you think that Fubuki will come and save you, you might as well give up know. He knows that you chose me over him and he's already found a mate." The look of disbelief flashed across violet eyes, which satisfied Darkness.

"It doesn't matter," Yusuke growled, trying to wriggle his way from Darkness so he wouldn't touch his slightly swollen belly. "I'm already yours." the last part came out in disgust.

Darkness smirked and leaned in and kissed Yusuke roughly. The fox demon closed his eyes feeling the unborn kick. A tear came down Yusuke's face as he tried not to imagine Fubuki having a mate. _It's probably for the best, _the fox demon thought, allowing Darkness do whatever he wanted to his body.

* * *

Fubuki tossed and turned in his sleep. His whimpering became louder and his trembling was becoming out of control. Asuka ran in and started to shake her brother awake. Fubuki's eyes snapped open and he sat up whacking his sister across the chest, sending her to the floor. Fubuki looked around realized that his sister was on the floor, rubbing her side.

Sis, are you all right? Fubuki asked his little sister as she rubbed her sore side.

No thanks to you! Askua said with slight anger in her voice. Her expression then softened. But what about you brother? You were tossing and turning in your sleep and I could hear you whimpering from my room. Were you having a bad dream?

I guess you could say that . Fubuki said looking away from his sister and towards the floor. More like a nightmare. He muttered just loud enough for her to hear.

What was your nightmare about? she asked as she got off the floor and took a seat on the bed next to her brother. Was it about Yusuke and Darkness? Askua noticed pain instantly appear all over Fubuki's face and tears started to well up in the corners of his eyes. I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to.

It was about Darkness hurting Yusuke. He was saying that I already had a new mate. The pain that came across his face  it felt so real! and with that Fubuki got up and ran out of the room.

Fubuki! Asuka called out to him. But he was already out of hearing range. I hope he'll be okay 

* * *

Judai was lying on his back, staring up at the star-filled sky. The cat demon woke up from a disturbing dream about Darkness and Yusuke. After sitting there and thinking about it, Judai went by the riverside. The sound of running water calmed him and it lulled him to sleep. He sighed in content. This is nice  he said as he closed his eyes and relaxed even further.

Then a familiar scent passed his nose. His ears perked up but he kept his eyes closed. I take it you enjoy stalking me? Judai said to the newcomer. He opened one eye and noticed that the newcomer was leaning over him. Well, Johan?

The cat demon chuckled. I guess you got me there. He said as he pulled back and sat next to Judai. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No. I couldn't sleep knowing that Darkness is back ..." Judai was about to continue when he could smell a scent. Judai got to his and looked around. The scent wasn't threatening, but strong. "You can come out now."

A rustling came from a near by bush and out came a blond fox demon with sapphire blue eyes. The two cat demons had to admit that the fox was pretty.

"You must be Judai Yuki, right?" the fox asked, staring at the brown haired cat demon.

The two cat demons gave each other a sideway glance. "That would be me," Judai said, using his back paw to scratch his ear.

The fox demon let out a sigh of relief. "My name is Honest, and I need help trying to find my brother. He goes by the name of Yusuke. Have you seen him?"

"We did see him," Johan informed Honest. "But he didn't look so good. He was being chased down by a panther demon named Darkness."

"No ..." Honest murmured. "I'm too late ..."

Judai stepped up and caught the fox before he passed out. Johan stepped up too and checked Honest's forehead. The poor fox demon was burning up.

"We need to get him to Miss. Fontaine," Johan said. "He's burning up!"

"You take Honest to Miss. Fontaine. I'm going to see if I can find Fubuki or Asuka. Maybe they can help!" Judai suggested.

* * *

"Fubuki!" came a familiar voice that happened to be Jun. "Fubuki, stop! Wait up!"

The wolf demon did stop, but he didn't turn to glance at his sister's mate. "Look, Jun. I know why you're here, but tell my sister that I'm not going home until I find Yusuke."

"I ran into Judai and he said that he and Johan found some fox demon named Honest," Jun said. "He told me that you might know him since he's Yusukes brother."

Fubuki stiffened. Honest? Yusuke's sweet older brother? He had almost forgotten about the older fox demon. Fubuki let out a sigh of frustration. He really wanted to save Yusuke, but had to help Honest.

"Alright. Lead the way," he said, turning to follow Jun to Miss. Fontaine.

The demon weasel walked in front of Fubuki for a few minutes in awkward silence. It didn't take long until Jun had had enough of it and tried to make conversation.

"Fubuki..." he said slowly. "We all get that you want to save Yusuke... we really do. but that doesn't give you the right to go off on your own without thinking! Do you understand Fubuki?" he was met with silence. _I wonder if I was too harsh on him_... Jun thought. _No! it had to be said!_ "Fubuki?"

Still silence.

The demon weasel turned to see that he had lost the wolf demon somewhere back on the trail. _Damnit! _He cursed. Jun put his nose to the ground and ran after the wolf demon. _I have to stop him before he does something stupid! _

* * *

Fubuki picked up his speed when he heard Jun plea. The demon weasel tried catch the wolf demon, but his short legs couldn't keep up. Fubuki felt bad for ditching the others but he wasn't going to hold off any longer.

_**"Alright. Lead the way," he said, turning to follow Jun to Miss. Fontaine. **_

_**The demon weasel took lead and Fubuki cringed behind, not saying a word. He couldn't stop thinking about Yusuke. Fubuki looked when Jun started to lecture him. The wolf was only half listening to him the whole time. After fifteen minutes, Fubuki stopped altogether. **__I know that Judai and the others will take care of Honest, and I'll go take care of Darkness and save Yusuke, __**he thought**__. _

Fubuki looked over his shoulder to make sure that he had lost Jun_. Sorry guys! But I'm not going not going to leave Yusuke alone any longer!_

_To Be Continued ... _


	5. Chapter 5

Mating Season

Chapter Five

By KellyQ

Honest slowly opened his eyes to see that he was surrounded by six worried demons. The fox demon only recognized three - Kaiser and Johan and Judai.

The rabbit demon placed her hand on Honest's forehead. "Your fever is still high, but it's down by four degress."

The fox demon smiled. "Thanks, ma'am," he responded kindly.

Miss Fontaine nodded her head. "Any time. But what is this I hear about you wanting to go after your brother? You're in no condition to go anywhere."

Honest sighed. "I know. But Yusuke needs help. If he stays with Darkness any longer, he'll start to forget who he really is," he explained. "And where is Fubuki?" the fox demon asked, looking around.

"I tried to stop him from going after Darkness," came Jun's voice. "But I got jumped on by a couple of large rats."

They turned to see Jun standing there with a scratched-up face, and he looked like he had been bitten multiple times. Asuka and Miss. Fontaine ran up and caught the demon weasel before he hit the floor.

"What did these rats look like?" Judai asked, watching Miss Fontaine and Asuka clean Jun's wounds. The brown haired demon had a feeling what type of rats had attacked his friend, but he needed to make sure.

"They were black with freaky glowing blue eyes," Jun explained.

"Sounds like fun," Johan finally spoke up. "It's been a while since I've hunted down roaches."

"These aren't ordinary rats, Johan," Judai told the turquoise haired demon. "They're Darkness' followers."

"He's gotten stronger hasn't he?" Honest concluded.

"So has my brother," Asuka shared. "He's been trying to find Yusuke ever since we found out the two came back to this part of the forest."

Honest looked down with shame. "If only I'd have gotten here sooner – my brother would be with Fubuki instead of Darkness."

"Don't worry," Johan reassured the fox demon. "We're going to help you free your brother from Darkness."

Honest smiled at the two cat demons. "Thank you. Something told me that I could count on you two." With that he closed his eyes. Everyone looked closely to see that Honest was just resting.

"What do you say, Judai?" Johan finally spoke up. "Shall we hunt down some roaches?" he smirked when he saw that Judai looked a little hesitant. Johan leaned in and licked Judai's cheek. "Well?" he murmured seductively.

"I guess. As long as you don't try and lick me every so often," Judai responded, walking out the door.

Everyone watched the scene unfold. They could tell that Johan was having fun toying with Judai. His tail quivered as he followed the brown haired demon out the door.

* * *

Fubuki kept his snout to the ground, trying to pick up anything that would help him. _Come on! Give me some sort of ... _right before he could finish the thought, the wolf demon saw an ugly black rat scurry past. Fubuki narrowed his eyes and started to chase after it. The rat squeaked in anger as it tried to keep it's distance from the wolf.

Fubuki chased after it until he had to stop. Two more rats had jumped out of the bushes and tried to scratch and bite him.

"Get off me!" Fubuki barked. The wolf demon tried to yank the rats off, but a voice stopped him.

"Well, well, well," came a voice that Fubuki recognized. "You're certainly in a hurry to beat the shit out of me, huh?"

Fubuki turned and came face to face with Darkness. The rats jumped off the wolf demon and scurried over to the panther.

Fubuki glared at Darkness. "Where's Yusuke?"

"Hmm. Still upset that Yusuke's my mate and there's nothing you can do about it?" Darkness taunted.

He stared into Fubuki's brown eyes. The painful memory of their fight hit the wolf demon head on.

**_Darkness pinned Fubuki down, ready to bite the wolf's neck. Fubuki struggled to keep the panther's sharp teeth away from his neck. The wolf demon did a quick glance at Yusuke to see that he had fear, pain, and shock in his violet eyes. _**

**_"Stop!" the fox demon shouted. Yusuke ran up and pulled Darkness off of Fubuki, and stood protectively in front of him. "If you spare him, I'll mate with you!"_**

**_The small crowd gasped. Fubuki stared wide-eyed at the back of Yusuke. He got up and stood next the fox demon. _**

**_"Are you sure you want to do this, Yusuke?" Fubuki asked, feeling crushed._**

**_"Yes, I am!" Yusuke snapped. _**

**_Tension hung in the air as the fox demon walked toward Darkness. Yusuke didn't even look over his shoulder. Fubuki just stood there trying to keep his pain and hurt at bay. _**

"Stop it!" Fubuki shouted. Sweat came down his face as he panted. "I know that he chose you! But if you ever hurt Yusuke and the child, I'll kill you."

"And how are you going to do that? Last time we fought, _you lost_."

The rats hissed and lunged at the wolf demon. The brown haired demon jumped back and growled. "Tell me where Yusuke is right now!"

The rats sprang at Fubuki again. This time, the wolf demon didn't have a chance to dodge them. _Damnit! At this rate I'm not going to find him before mating season starts! _

"Pathetic," Darkness commented watching Fubuki struggling to keep the rats off him. "I can see why Yusuke chose me. You're weak."

The wolf demon tried to ignore the comment that stabbed him in the heart. Fubuki wasn't going to believe that. He knew that he was stronger than last time they fought.

* * *

Judai and Johan came to the riverside and got a drink. The white cat demon looked up stream to see something floating in the water. He squinted his eyes trying to get a better look.

"Fubuki!" Judai cried. The brown haired demon ran into the water and started swim against the current.

Johan watched with fear in his eyes as he observed what was taking place. Without thinking, Johan went into his human form and pulled off his shirt. He ran into the water and swam toward Judai.

"What's going on?" Johan shouted over the sound of the rushing river.

"It was Fubuki! I thought I saw him!" Judai answered, looking all round.

Johan looked around too and spotted Fubuki's body hitting a near by rock. "Judai!"

The brown haired demon turned and helped Johan bring Fubuki to shore. They laid him down as the wolf demon turned and coughed up water.

"Thanks," Fubuki murmured. He turned to see Judai giving him a scowling expression. The wolf demon scratched the back of his head nervously. "I know: I should be more careful." Fubuki lowered his head, and closed his eyes. "I thought I was strong enough ..." he murmured, letting his emotions spill. A tear came down his face. "Strong enough to see Yusuke."

The two demon cats patted his back. "You're not the only one who wants to see Yusuke safe and sound," Johan finally spoke up.

Judai nodded his head when Fubuki looked at him. "Honest wants him back too, and I have a feeling that Honest is the key to setting Yusuke free."

To Be continued ...


	6. Chapter 6

Mating Season

Chapter Six

By KellyQ

Two days had past since the run in with Darkness. Fubuki's wounds had healed and Honest's fever had broke.

"Your fever has finally dropped," said Miss Fontaine, removing her hand from the fox demon's forehead. "Now as for you lover-boy," the rabbit demon said, facing Fubuki with a scowling look. "You need to be more careful, okay? Your injuries are healed but your body has gone through some stress, so you should rest a little longer, okay?" Fubuki nodded his head. With the last check-up, Miss Fontaine left.

Honest studied Fubuki for a moment. _I think now is the time for Tenijion to know the truth,_ the demon fox thought. He got up and walked over to the depressed wolf demon. "Mr. Tenjion, there's something you need to know." Fubuki looked up and watched the fox demon sit next to him. "The fight you had with Darkness was a set-up. He knew that if he tried kill you - Yusuke would go with him," Honest explained. "Darkness wanted you to feel weak after my brother chose him - but Yusuke did it because he loved you ..."

Fubuki stared at Honest with shock in his eyes. Now it all made sense! The wolf demon looked away, and his body started to shake."If only I had figured that out sooner!"

Honest was about to pull Fubuki close when there was a yelp of shock from the room next door that sounded like Asuka. Fubuki dashed out when he heard his sister's cry. Honest followed the wolf demon too; what they both saw made them gasp. Jun had Asuka by the throat, digging his claws into her neck.

"J - Jun ..." Asuka wheezed. "Stop!" Fubuki stepped up but stopped when his sister spoke up. "No, st-stay back! There's something wrong with him!"

Just as Fubuki's sister warned him, Asuka was thrown in his direction. Honest stepped in front of Fubuki and went into his human form. The fox demon caught Asuka before she hit the floor. "Are you alright, ma'am?" he asked with concern laced in his voice.

Asuka was about to answer when Jun came at them. The demon weasel's eyes were glowing and the look on his face told everyone that Jun was ready to kill.

"_Come on,"_ Jun said in an eerie tone as he staggered toward his friends. The demon weasel's chuckle sounded like raspy breathing. _"Lets play." _

Asuka stared at her mate. _What could cause Jun to behave like this, _she thought, watching him stagger toward them. It pained Asuka to see Jun act so violently toward her.

"What's going on?" came Judai's voice. He and Johan came in to see that Jun was walking toward them with glowing eyes. Judai's ears went flat against his head and his tail twitched. "Stay back!" he ordered. Judai dashed forward and struck Jun across the face.

The demon weasel staggered back, holding his cheek. Jun chuckled eerily. _"Is that the best you've got Judai Haou Yuki? Why not let your friends play too? We can have a party." _

_Damnit, _Judai cursed, seeing a black rat nesting in Jun's sleek raven hair. _I have to find a way to get the rat off of Jun, I just can't continue hitting him! _Fubuki narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air. _Something's not right, _the wolf demon thought. Johan observed the whole thing quietly. Just then, the white cat demon saw movement in Jun's hair. Johan went to his demon form and lunged at Jun. The rat jumped out of his hair as the white cat demon landed on the other side of Jun. The demon weasel fell unconscious and hit the floor.

Asuka's eyes widened for a moment, but her shock turned to pure anger. She jumped out of Honest's arms and growled. The rat squeaked as it tried to scurry to the door. Honest turned and closed the door, giving the rodent a hard look. The rat squeaked in frustration, trying not to show how scared it was.

Fubuki stared at the rat for a moment. "Where is Yusuke?" the wolf demon growled. The rat only squeaked in response.

"Don't be cocky," Judai said to the rat, understanding it. "You know where Darkness is, don't you?"

The rat stayed still for a second before it jumped toward Judai. Everyone let out a gasp and backed away. Johan moved to the side and went to his human form. He was about to grab the rat but Judai stepped back and caught it in his hand. The rodent squeaked as it tried to pull out of Judai's harsh grip.

"You tell us where that son of a bitch is right now," Judai growled. He wasn't going to let Darkness continue hurting his friends. "And if you don't -"

Before Judai could finish, a moan came from the back of Jun's throat. Asuka was the first to rush over to her mate.

"Jun, are you alright?" she asked with worry laced in her voice.

The demon weasel groaned lightly as Asuka helped him sit up. "W - what happened?" He looked around and his eyes landed on his mate to see that Asuka had red claw marks around her neck. Jun's eyes widened with shock. "Asuka, what happened?! Who tried to hurt you?"

"You were being controlled by one of Darkness' followers," Judai answered. Jun stared at the rat with disgust. "Yeah. And it was nesting in your hair."

"What?" the demon weasel shouted, jumping to his feet. "I had that disgusting thing in my hair? I'll kill it!" By now Jun was seething. How dare that piece of filth force him into hurting Asuka! Judai stepped back when Jun tried to reach for the rat. "Danmit, give it to me, Judai!"

Asuka raised her feet and wrapped her arms around her mate. "Jun - it's okay," she reassured.

"The rat is the only lead we have to find Darkness," Judai explained. His eyes shifted to the rodent. "And you're going to lead us there, right?"

The rat didn't respond at all. He was going to wait for an opportunity to get away.

To Be Continued ...


	7. Chapter 7

Mating Season

Chapter Seven

By KellyQ

Darkness smirked as he walked into the cave and eyed his mate chained on the bed. The panther demon then crawled on top of Yusuke and stared into his violet eyes. "I ran into Fubuki and I discovered something really interesting ... he found a mate."

Yusuke's eyes widened with disbelief, then it turned to anger. "What proof do you have that Fubuki has a mate?"

Darkness snickered. "You remember Jun, right?" the panther demon stared into Yusuke's eyes. The fox demon stared back as images of Jun and how he would stare at Fubuki with a warm caring look came back to him. _This is all to easy, _Darkness thought seeing the shock in Yusuke's eyes that held anger and jealously.

"They're now mates," Darkness explained. "Jun even tried to stop Fubuki from trying to see you because he's convinced that you won't be a good enough mate - and besides, you're already taken, remember?"

_He's right, _Yusuke thought, trying to ignore the pain in his heart. The fox demon turned his head as Darkness caressed his body. _I'm nothing but Darkness' bitch. _

* * *

The black rat threw himself to the side of the cage for the fourth time. The glass cage didn't budge at all. The rodent looked around for anything useful, but there was nothing in sight; on top of that, he was being guarded by Judai and Johan. The rat stared at the two cat demons with hatred in its solid blue eyes.

Johan rolled his eyes and looked back to Judai. "Are you alright?" the white cat demon asked sitting next to Judai.

"I'm just worried about Honest," Judai mumbled truthfully.

**_"Then lets go!" Jun insisted. He wasn't going to waste time. He was going to teach Darkness a lesson. _**

"_**W**_**_e're going to have to come up with a plan first," Johan said. _**

**_Honest nodded his head. "We might have a better shot looking tomorrow. I'll guard the entrance so everyone can get some rest."_**

"I Know how you feel," Johan said in agreement. He didn't like the idea anymore than Judai did. "I'll go check on him and the others. Is there anything you want?"

"Nah, I'm good for now. Just be careful, okay?" Judai answered staring into Johan's emerald green eyes.

The white cat demon stared back and smirked. Johan took a gentle hold of Judai's hand and kissed it tenderly. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Johan smirked inwardly at Judai's facial expression as it turned a light shade of pink.

* * *

A large brown rat scurried through the forest. _I've got to find Judai, _it thought. This brown rat was a demon. He went by the name of O'Brien. He came to a cave and sniffed the air and caught Judai's scent, along with others he recognized. O'Brien peered over a rock to see a fox demon sitting casually at the mouth of the cave. The brown rat looked around and sniffed the air. _I just need to get past him and then find Jaden! Here goes nothing! _O'Brien climbed onto the rock and jumped off. He landed on the ground and scurried to the entrance.

"Honest, look out!" came a feminine voice. Before O'Bien could stop himself, the poor brown rat hit his head on something hard causing him to fall back. "O'Brien?"

The brown rat looked up to see Johan and the fox demon towering over him. "Is Judai here? I need to talk to him!"

Johan nodded his head. "Yeah. He's here. Honest will take you to him."

The fox demon wanted to protest, but he did as he was told. "Follow me," Honest said walking back into the cave.

O'Brien nodded his head and followed the fox demon in the cave and saw Judai standing there with a calm but curious expression. The cat demon stared down at the brown rat for a moment.

"O'Brien?"

The rat let out a sigh of relief. "That's good you recognize me," O'Brien said. He changed into his human form as Judai did too. The two walked further into the cave. "I've been doing some surveillance," O'brien continued. He followed Judai into the room where the black rat was being held. "And I might've found where Darkness is."

The black rat put his ear to the glass when the name left brown rat's lips.

"Speaking of the bastard, we caught one of his followers." Judai said, pointing to the glass cage.

O'Brien raised a brow. "How'd you manage to pull that off?"

"It controlled Jun and tomorrow he's going to lead us to Darkness and free Yusuke," Judai explained. "But if you have any other info tell me - but not here," the brown haired cat demon said, his eyes darting to the rat then back to his friend.

Judai motioned for O'Brien to follow him out of the room. The black rat narrowed its eyes with suspicion and sat there until Fubuki came into the room a few minutes later.

The two stared at each other for a moment and the black rat knew that Fubuki was his ticket out.

To Be Continued ...


	8. Chapter 8

Mating Season

Chapter 8

By Kellyq

Fubuki stared down at the rat. "How about we make a deal, you show me where Yuseuke is, and I'll make sure that you got away on your own. How does that sound?"

"That sounds like a bad idea, Fubuki," came Judai's voice. The rat hissed at in response. Judai stepped up and place a comforting hand on Fubuki's shoulder. "I know that you want to save Yusuke, and we will. You'll have to trust me on this, okay?"

Fubuki sighed and followed the cat demon out of the room.

"Now get some rest. I'm going to check on Johan," Judai urged.

Fubuki couldn't help but smirk. "Just tell me when he asks you to mate with him," he teased. With no other words Fubuki turned and walked away, leaving his friend standing there all flushed.

Judai shook his head. He turned and walked out of the cave to see Johan in his demon form, cleaning himself. The white cat demon raised a paw and stared to lick the white fir elegantly. Judai couldn't help but stare. Johan's eyes were closed and beauty radiated off his body. Judai was so wrapped up in his own desire, he wasn't aware that Johan was trying to get Judai's attention.

Johan smirked and opened his eyes and gave Judai a coy look. _That's right,_ Johan thought knowing full well that he got Judai staring. Johan licked his paw once more and walked over to Judai. He leaned in and blew on Judai's ear, causing the brown cat demon to yelp in shock and shiver.

Johan chuckled. "Did you like what you saw that much?" he murmured seductively.

Judai's ears twitched and he stared into Johan's eyes. "Do you throw yourself at everyone?" he asked.

Johan's ears twitched and his tail quivered. He chuckled. "Not all the time."

"Interesting," Judai responded, a smirk making its way to his lips. Before Johan knew what was happening, Judai pinned him down. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were trying to hit on me."

Amusement flashed across Johan's eyes. "And what if I was," he taunted playfully. Johan shifted his body so practically underneath Judai. He went into his human form. "What are you going to do about it?"

An evil smirk spread across Judai's lips. He leaned in and licked Johan's cheek the same way Johan did before. "I'm going to teach you a lesson, that's what."

Johan shivered at Judai's seductive voice as he watched the brown-haired cat demon lick his lips hungrily. Judai was about to kiss Johan fully on the lips when they both heard a loud crash that sounded like glass hitting the ground.

* * *

Judai and Johan came running into the room to see Fubui standing a few feet away from the broken glass cage.

"What happened?" Judai asked Fubuki.

Johan narrowed his eyes and pulled the brown-haired demon back, just as Fubuki turned and swung his claws. Judai was surprised at first, but when he saw the black rat on Fubuki's shoulder with its fangs in his skin, Judai's anger grew.

"Release Fubuki at once!" Judai ordered.

_"I want to see __Yuseuke! And if this is the only way, I'll do it!"_

Before Johan and Judai knew what happened, Fubuki lunged forward. The two cat demons moved out of the way when Fubuki changed into his demon form and took off running.

"Damn it all!" Judai cursed.

"What's going on?'" came Asuka's voice. The female wolf demon came in with Honest right behind her.

"The rat managed to con Fubuki into letting it go," Judai explained.

"I'll take care of it," Johan spoke up. He turned and was about to run when he noticed that Judai was blocking his way. "Judai ...?"

"No. I'm not letting you do this on your own. Darkness is not someone you can take down by yourself, besides, I want you to stay here - Honest come with me."

* * *

Johan sighed. After Judai and Honest left, he sat there in his demon form. _This is my fault, _he thought._ I should've paid more attention to what was going on around me instead of trying to get Judai to notice me. _

"Are you alright?" came Asuka's voice. She walked up and sat next to him.

"I'm fine," Johan responded, smiling.

Asuka didn't look convinced. "Don't feel bad. Things just happen."

"I know that. That's why I was ready to go help but Judai insisted that I stay here ..."

Asuka smiled at Johan, having a sneaky feeling why Judai wanted Johan to stay behind. "Judai cares about you, just like he cares about everyone else, and he doesn't want you to get hurt."

Johan sighed again. "If I get hurt, I get hurt. It happens."

It was Asuka's turn to sigh. "You really are a typical male," she pointed out. "I saw the look in his eyes when you said that you were going to find Fubuki - he was worried."

Johan grumbled under his breath, feeling like an idiot for not seeing the look Judai gave him.

To Be Continued ...


End file.
